


Depression

by alec



Series: Hijack Shifters!AU [6]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: (in the vein of omegaverse), A LOT of Angst, Alpha Jack Frost, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Angst, M/M, Mating Bond, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mentions to Mpreg, Omega Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Pack Dynamics, Protective Jack Frost
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-15
Updated: 2016-04-15
Packaged: 2018-06-02 08:43:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6559774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alec/pseuds/alec
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It wasn't until the third full Moon after Hiccup's heat that Jack noticed that something had changed. He'd been slow to notice it. When at first Hiccup wouldn't return at night to their den occasionally, Jack didn't think much of it. It wasn't entirely uncommon that Hiccup would work himself so tired that he'd fall asleep in the workshop. Once or twice a week was understandable, even if it was somewhat pushing it, but four or five days in a row was too much.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Depression

Jack was running as fast as he could. He was barely human right now, and both his alpha strength as well as the fact that his legs were half shifted into their wolf form (which would be an incredibly strange and embarrassing sight for Jack if he had the mental capacity to care or even think about anybody else right now) were propelling him as fast as he could, breath falling raggedly as he reached the well just outside of the main pack enclave. It took all of his self control (which was biologically broken by this point, and only years of scolding were subconsciously holding him back) to not break the well's bucket as he pulled it up fast, filling pouch after pouch with water, before he scooped the half dozen pouches of water and ran back, swaying a bit as the water sloshed to the sides and rocked his body with the momentum.

He didn't want to admit it, but he was panting by the time that he dashed into their shared cave, exhausted from the effort of carrying the water and running up and around hills, darting between people who (Moon bless them) were doing their best to get out of his way in advance. He wouldn't normally be this tired — or tired at all, Jack had considerable stamina — but this was day three of Hiccup's heat and he'd already knotted his omega four times since the Moon had started to fall, and daylight was just now breaking. He hadn't slept more than a couple of hours over the past three days, and the exhaustion was setting in even as he steeled himself for four more days of this.

And he loved every second of that.

This was the third heat that Jack had shared with Hiccup, whose body kept in sync with the seasons perfectly, always within a day or two after the sixth full Moon. And every time, Jack forgot just _how good_ it felt, how amazing it was — how amazing _Hiccup_ was — and what it felt like to be knotting him from behind with fervour bordering on violent as so much slick was pouring out from behind him. Or licking it up. Or being shoved to the ground and watching as Hiccup drove himself up and down on Jack, mouth open wide and whimpers (sometimes more scream than moan) erupted from his mouth. Or that time when Jack had accidentally popped his knot in Hiccup's mouth but the boy just moaned and licked at it, Jack never having realised _just_ how sensitive and torturous and absolutely _amazing_ that felt. Each time Hiccup's heat started, Jack was reminded of just how amazing it was. Except for the first time. The first time, Jack had thought he was going to die. Hiccup felt so tight and amazing and warm, between the copious amounts of slick and the looseness that Jack could push in right away but still tight enough that every muscle contraction of Hiccup's gripped at Jack's dick, or the scents filling the air alongside Hiccup's whimpering and the omega begging to be knotted, literally _begging_ to be bred, promising Jack dozens of pups who would have his snow-white hair and Hiccup's eyes, and Jack came embarrassingly fast but Hiccup couldn't even be bothered to care, just howling out in pleasure (that he later described "the heat boiling my blood suddenly chilled and the sheer relief and bliss I felt... divine") and Hiccup had come all over them in ecstasy. That first heat, they had to throw away every skin that covered their floors, as well as two of the pillows. Neither of them even slightly cared.

Hiccup was already moaning for Jack as the alpha stood there, huge amounts of water still in his hands, watching entranced as Hiccup worked his fingers in and out of himself in front of him, looking the alpha straight in the face and teasing him, enticing the alpha to get his knot to be back inside of him. And the scent permeating the air was going to drive Jack insane if he wasn't doing that about five seconds ago. But he had to force down his alpha for the moment ( _just for the moment_ ); he needed to take care of Hiccup during his heats, in every manner.

Ducking down next to Hiccup (who began mouthing at Jack's pants, tongue pushing against the tip of Jack's dick and causing the alpha to stutter and momentarily lose control of his mind altogether), he grabbed Hiccup by the chin. "I will knot you in four different ways and make you howl with pleasure until the neighbouring packs can hear you, but only _if_ you drink this water." Hiccup looked at the pouch that Jack was holding with glossed-over eyes, trying to understand why putting any liquid inside him that wasn't Jack's seed was something he'd want to do. Were he lucid (as Jack _barely_ was) he'd realise that the amount of slick he was losing was _possibly_ going to kill him from dehydration — something that needed to be monitored closely during a heat — but he couldn't wrap his mind around why, all thought thrown out the window. But Jack's grip on Hiccup's jaw only grew stronger, possibly (hopefully, both of them wished) leaving marks and bruises there to match the ones littering every pale expanse of Hiccup's skin, and the promise of Jack's knot inside him and being bred as hard as the alpha was capable of doing caused Hiccup to pucker his lips and wrap them around the opening to the pouch. It didn't taste as good as Jack did, and it wasn't Jack, but the water felt wonderful in his throat all the same. And from the high whine that Jack was emitting, Hiccup had succeeded in turning even this into an obscene moment, teasing the alpha and trying to make sure that he followed through and kept his promise.

As if Jack had any ability whatsoever to control himself when Hiccup begged for him during his heats.

As soon as the water skin was empty, it was thrown across the room — probably to be lost until the next time they cleaned their entire den — and Jack was draped over Hiccup's back, arms already wrapped around Hiccup's frame and the alpha could feel the enveloping heat driving out the last of his rational thought as his alpha took over, the only thoughts going through his head being a chorus of _"My mate. Mine. All mine. My omega. Breed. Breed. Breed."_ He was going to give Hiccup his pups. He was going to make Hiccup carry two — no, three — no, six, as unreasonable and slightly impossible as that was. He was going to make them both fathers. And he was going to give his mate the pleasure and relief that he was begging for.

"F-fast-er," Hiccup panted out between thrusts from Jack that were sending the both of them rocking slowly towards the edge of the den. Normally Jack wouldn't think that he'd have been able to go any faster, but his alpha did, and a mix of alpha power and a bit of wolf came out until Jack couldn't even see himself going in and out of Hiccup; his hips were moving at a blinding pace — or maybe a regular pace, and the heat had triggered his rut, which seemed to always happen around the third day of Hiccup's heats anyways — and Jack was lost to every sense other than the mating bond and physical contact.

His knot was forming and he could feel it as it slowly expanded, dragging along the inside of Hiccup's channel, the muscles clenching tightly against it as the omega did everything in his power to keep Jack's knot in him permanently, to have Jack fill him with come and pups. It was time. It had always been time. For Hiccup, this was what he was meant to do, on some primordial level. And this was what he wanted to do. Or, it was; it was just, at the moment, second to being knotted and having Jack spasm against his back as the alpha—

Jack clamped down on the back of Hiccup's shoulder, teeth threatening to pierce the skin as he thrust in hard, his knot almost full, tantalisingly close and the pressure and heat was going to make Jack pass out. The one time that Jack had knotted Hiccup's mouth, he'd had the chance to feel his knot for himself during Hiccup's heat, and his knot was so much harder than it normally was — to make sure that nothing would escape out of Hiccup — but the sensitivity of it was almost doubled. With a howl just barely bordering on human, Jack shoved it into Hiccup, causing the omega to yelp — either with pleasure or with pain, though probably both, knowing Hiccup — and thrust shallowly into Hiccup until he was coming, deep spurts filling Hiccup up and causing the omega to echo Jack's moans in ecstasy, and Jack moved to stroke Hiccup to completion but found his mate already spent, the come soaking into the skins on their floor pooling in copious amounts, most likely ruining it. Jack couldn't find it in himself to care at the thought of replacing them as he swirled the pool with his fingers before scooping his fingers up and bringing them to his mouth, tasting his mate's come, and Moon, _everything_ about Hiccup tasted perfect.

The two collapsed to their side, Jack doing his best to cushion Hiccup's fall, and they lay there, the omega's back pressed against his alpha, both wordless for minutes, before Hiccup spoke up in the daze of his heat, saying "I took your knot so well, alpha. I can feel your come inside me, breeding me. I'm going to make you a father." Jack couldn't help the second wave of come at the words and the thoughts, only filling Hiccup more, who let out another pleased sigh. "I'm so full, and it's all you. Only you. Always you..."

And then Hiccup was out cold, exhaustion overtaking him as his body relaxed from the tenseness he held his muscles with and the sheer level of power it demanded to be able to keep up with Jack's movements, even though Hiccup was the one demanding them.

Jack just stroked Hiccup's stomach idly, smiling to himself as he felt happiness and contentedness flowing through the bond, knowing that it was being returned, and he soon followed Hiccup. Hiccup's heats were amazing beyond anything that Jack had ever experienced in his life, but they were the most draining weeks — in multiple ways — that Jack had or ever would experience in his life.

The nap and the smiles on their faces lasted two hours before Hiccup was pushing back against Jack again, rousing the alpha from his sleep, and another skin of water and Hiccup could feel Jack inside him again, and the omega was screaming his alpha's name.

* * *

Four days later, Hiccup's heat broke. A full day after that, both of them finally emerged from their den, the exhaustion having left them to sleep for almost sixteen hours straight. One day after that, Astrid mentioned over dinner that if they didn't keep their volume down when they were mating, she was going to personally take it upon herself to "go in there and rip you two apart, whether you're knotted already or not." Jack's alpha wasn't sure if he should be angry at the threat of being separated from his mate or preen at the praise that _everybody_ knew that his omega was so incredibly well-fucked.

* * *

For the first three weeks after Hiccup's heat ended, the two were completely inseparable. This was common among mates, but Jack and Hiccup had a tendency — like most things — to be in slight excess. It was mating bliss; the bond between them was stronger than ever, and compulsion drove them together, not out of biology but out of love for one another. There might have been some reason for it, deep down, like the alpha protecting his omega and their potential pups. But mostly, it was that after an intense week of mating and their mating bond being flooded with so many intense, indescribable emotions, they felt almost as though they were one person, and they basked in the afterglow. As it began to lessen around the Moon following Hiccup's heat, they began to return to normal, being able to exist in separate rooms without immediately being drawn to each other's side. They were able to return to their normal lives and perform the duties they had on them. Which, for Jack, were ever increasing. North's health was becoming more of a problem. Nobody was ready to admit it, but their pack alpha was no longer in his prime. More and more, it became Jack who was leading the pack, something that North beamed at even from the rocks that he would find himself confined to sitting on for hours at a time, unable to get up. Not that he would ever admit that to anybody. One of the responsibilities of being a pack alpha — of which he was still one — is not letting your pack be afraid, or sad.

Hiccup was beginning to take on roles as the mate of a pack alpha as well, but he was primarily returning to what he had done all his life. Hiccup had always had a way with inventions and tinkering, and though he hated to attribute it to favouritism, his mating with Jack had lead to his peers — and his mentor, Gobber — putting more trust into him and allowing him more leeway in what he was doing. And the pack, much to everyone else's surprise, was doing infinitely better for it. There were railings being put up along the steeper staircases, with guards in place on the lower portions that would prevent anybody from slipping through to their death (again). That idea seemed to work much better than telling people to be careful, as it had already saved a couple of people. Before the heat had hit him, Hiccup had been working on a transportation system for Gothi and the other pack elders — those who were too aged to be able to move around on their own. Previously, it had been series of pulleys and ropes that had lifted them to and fro; Hiccup's new idea would extend that, allowing them to navigate through the pack enclave both of their own volition and without needing to make stops. The system of pulleys would be converted into double-width ropes (again, also to prevent more people from falling to their deaths) that allowed for both horizontal and vertical movement, but with the ability to shift from one direction to the other through an improved harness without leaving the cart, which he was _also_ working on designing so that it was more comfortable to ride in and could accommodate the controls for changing directions. It would require almost a complete refitting of the enclave and could possibly take years, but it was wildly innovative bordering on genius and Gobber, who hated to admit he was wrong about anything, grumbled when he thought Hiccup wasn't listening, that he should have paid more attention to Hiccup long before. Hiccup positively beamed at that, pretending he didn't hear anything when Gobber returned. After the heat and the mating bliss passed, Hiccup was able to finish the design for the new cars, and a prototype construction was underway by the next full Moon.

It wasn't until the third full Moon after Hiccup's heat that Jack noticed that something had changed. He'd been slow to notice it, due in part to the massive amount of duties that he now found himself saddled with, but also because Hiccup as a person had always been rather unpredictable, spontaneous, and just a bit risk-loving. It was a part of Hiccup that Jack loved and which at the same time caused Jack's alpha an absolutely ridiculous amount of distress. Every time Hiccup came back scraped or bruised from an experiment gone awry, Jack's alpha would rise to the surface and begin trying to nurture his mate. The day that Hiccup had come back with some blood on his head, Jack had him pinned to their bed the entire following day, keeping him from going back out into the real world. Hiccup had protested, telling Jack at first that he was being unreasonable, and then later that he was just flat out being an ass about this and that Hiccup was a sane person who could take care of himself, but Jack found himself unable to control it. The thought of losing Hiccup was too much for both Jack and his inner alpha to be able to handle.

So when at first Hiccup wouldn't return at night to their den occasionally, Jack didn't think much of it. It wasn't entirely uncommon that Hiccup would work himself so tired that he'd fall asleep in the workshop. Jack thought to go and rescue his mate and bring him back to their den, but he could feel through their bond that Hiccup was safe and alive, and at Jack's insistence there were ample blankets and pillows stored in the workshop because, well, it wasn't entirely uncommon that Hiccup would fall asleep in the workshop. And Jack himself was beginning to become too tired by the end of the day to be able to do much more than rise from his bed; carrying his mate would be trying to use power he simply didn't have, even his alpha strength exhausted.

But it became more and more common that Hiccup wasn't returning at night, and that was when Jack began to worry about him. For him. Once or twice a week was understandable, even if it was somewhat pushing it, but four or five days in a row was too much. The worry began to sink in that Hiccup was working too hard on his project — which Jack loved, both as a proud mate and as the future pack alpha — but this couldn't consume and leave Hiccup so drained that he barely had life in him. He didn't think much of it until the night that, just before he fell asleep, he could feel twinges of sadness flow through the bond alongside the feeling of _alive_ and _healthy_. That had immediately woken Jack up, and as exhausted as he was he pulled himself to the workshop, finding Hiccup having just fallen into a deep sleep on the floor, blankets barely covering him from the wind blowing in. Jack curled up behind him, pulling the blanket over both of them, and let Hiccup push back against him in his sleep, contentedness flowing through him again.

When Jack woke, Hiccup wasn't beside him. Nor was he in the workshop.

It was then that Jack began to worry in earnest. He tried visiting Hiccup in the workshop during the day, but found Hiccup too engulfed in his work to pay much attention to him. But it took very little time for Jack to realise — both through Hiccup's body language and through the anxiety flowing through the mating bond when Hiccup could scent Jack approaching — that he wasn't as absorbed in thought as he normally was. And then one day, he just simply wasn't at the workshop. When Jack asked Gobber where Hiccup was, he replied in his offhand manner that Hiccup was down at the construction site. Jack quickly left before the thing Gobber was holding — that looked very much ready to explode with fire — would actually explode into fire. But when he reached the construction site, Snotlout and the others working there said that he was consulting with the elders to see if they wanted or needed any alterations to the plan (which Snotlout grumbled was absolutely _not_ what he wanted to hear after almost a full Moon's worth of work on this single cart). And the elders told Jack that Hiccup was down at the workshop. Which was where Gobber told Jack, as though Jack were pestering him, that _no_ , Hiccup had been down at the work site all day, and that if he showed up, he'd let Hiccup know that Jack was looking for him.

Jack's duties as a pack alpha were completely thrown to the wayside as he searched the entire enclave in a panic, trying to find Hiccup. Finally, he caught his mate's scent, hours stale, and followed it as it lead — distressingly — into the far woods. The deeper into it that Jack went, the more his heart raced, and Jack was about four paces from shifting forms before he came across Hiccup's clothes, set aside gently on the side of a riverbank, the mud alongside it vigorously disturbed.

As though someone had rolled in it.

The scent was gone after that; the mud masked Hiccup's scent and the only scent of his mate that he could find was the one that had lead him here. Jack began to panic, calling out Hiccup's name until his voice threatened to go hoarse, before shifting and running through the surrounding area, using his speed and his nose to scour the woods for Hiccup. Daylight waned and he still hadn't found Hiccup, and Jack's heart was racing as anxiety of a hundred different ways his mate could be hurt — or dead — set in on him. He returned to the river where Hiccup had left his clothes, finding that they were still there. Panic gripped his heart and he circled the clothing until a trench was worn deep in the mud around the clothing, settling down next to it to wait and rest, his energy completely expended.

When he woke, the clothes were gone and the scent of Hiccup trailed back towards the enclave.

Jack's worry was suddenly overcome by intense fury as he followed the trail back, finding it leading not to their den but to the workshop. He threw open the door, Gobber jumping in surprise, before he took a single look at Jack and promptly squeezed his body through the door and left. Which left only a seething Jack and a nonplussed Hiccup, who hadn't looked up from his work yet. Most of his body was washed, but a patch of mud still clung to the back of his neck.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Jack growled, taking painfully hard steps towards Hiccup, who still didn't look up from his work.

"I was out," was all that Jack got in response, and Hiccup suddenly found himself literally torn from his work as his back slammed against the wall to his side.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Jack repeated, red seeping into his eyes as he looked at Hiccup, who only showed the slightest signs of any emotion. "You abandoned the entire pack, left for the wilderness, covered your scent and intentionally evaded me when you came back. All without telling or asking anyone before you left. Where. Have. You. Been," Jack grit out, teeth gnashing against each other as he stared the omega down. Whose eyes suddenly narrowed.

"Mate or not, future pack alpha or not, you are _not_ in control of me. I am my own person, and I will not bow down to you and let you dictate my life or tell me what is or is not acceptable for me to do. I will not let you cage me in and ask for your approval before I do every single thing in my life."

Jack stood there, stunned, unmoving, mouth agape and eyes wide as he looked at Hiccup with shock. And then anger gave way and he pushed Hiccup harder against the wall, lifting him slightly so that his feet left the ground.

"This is not about you being your own person or needing to ask my approval before you doing anything. This is about you disappearing, not telling anyone when you're going into dangerous territory, leaving the enclave and going Moon knows where," Jack snarled, feeling the distended fangs grate at his lips as he spoke.

"I realise I'm not some mighty, powerful alpha — I'm only a weak omega who needs protection from everything in the world. But you know, funny about that. I'm still a shifter. I can still handle myself and keep myself from dying. I don't need protection — I don't need _your_ protection — in order to stay alive. I can do that myself."

If it had been anyone other than his mate, Jack would have hit them so hard that they wouldn't have been able to think properly. The emotions that he was feeling were confusion and hurt mixed with an overwhelming amount of fury. And that was when he realised that that was _all_ he could feel.

Jack couldn't feel any of Hiccup's emotions through the mating bond. It was silent, as though it weren't even there.

Hiccup's eyes were still narrowed on Jack, before his expression turned neutral again and he looked Jack in the eyes. "If you'd kindly put me down, I have work to return to. As do, I'm sure, you as well."

Jack stood frozen, releasing Hiccup who fell the brief distance to the floor with unaffected grace before pushing past a stunned Jack and back to his workbench. Jack just stared at the wall in front of him, unable to speak, until Hiccup tried to open a drawer that Jack was in front of. And that was Jack's insistent cue to leave.

* * *

Hiccup didn't return to the den that night, and Jack couldn't sense that Hiccup was alive, or well, or any emotions. He couldn't even tell where Hiccup was.

The den was beginning to smell of only Jack and the spices he used to cook the dinners that Hiccup didn't eat anymore.

* * *

It was night, and Jack was hidden. Perched high atop the rocks, making sure to stay out of sight even though he knew that the likelihood of anybody looking up this high was slim to none. His eyes were trained on the workshop, as they had been since the sun had begun to set, and the windows were still lit by candlelight. Gobber had long since left for the evening, which meant Hiccup was in there. And Jack needed to know what was happening. He needed to know where his mate was going.

 _If... if Hiccup was even his mate anymore._ A thought he blocked out, shaking his head, both he and his alpha refusing to accept that as even a possibility.

The Moon was almost at its peak when the lights went out, and a brief moment of doubt came over Jack. Hiccup could just be sleeping in the workshop again, and this was all for nothing. But that was dispelled quickly by the door to the workshop opening and Hiccup walking slowly towards the forestline. Even from this distance, he could tell that Hiccup was slunched over, trudging along with no real speed or purpose.

As quietly as he could, Jack crawled down the cliffside, moving to follow Hiccup but at a distance that Hiccup wouldn't be able to scent or hear him. He noticed it was the same trail that he'd followed towards the river that one afternoon, a though which was shortly followed by Jack realising how much this trail smelled like Hiccup.

 _How often has he been doing this?_ Jack wondered, before he worked to keep his emotions in check; if there was still a bond between he and Hiccup, he needed to keep himself neutral as best he could.

By the time he reached the riverbed, Hiccup had already shed his clothing and was beginning to plaster himself with mud. After a few moments, he stood up, turning around and trying to inspect himself to ensure that he was fully covered before he hopped the rocks across the river and disappeared into the forest line on the other bank. It took every ounce of control to not immediately follow him — _You're going to lose his trail,_ screamed Jack's alpha — but he waited for almost a minute before going down and doing the process to himself, covering himself with mud, as quickly as he could and hoping that he'd been as thorough as Hiccup had been.

The first few steps were easy, trying to follow Hiccup. The mud was still drying on the omega's feet as well as the water, and so Jack had a vague sense of the direction the omega was headed. But after that, it was left up to Jack to try and follow the waving of the tree branches and anything that looked disturbed. He wanted so badly to shift into his wolf, to be able to stalk what had essentially become prey, to be attuned to the forest and see so easily the tracks left behind. But if he did, he risked exposing himself and losing the mud, and he'd never be able to find Hiccup if Hiccup could smell him. So he did his best to follow what he thought the path was as closely as he could.

Jack was beginning to feel lost — both locationally as well as emotionally — as the Moon reached its peak when he heard sobbing from behind a tree thirty metres out. Jack stilled as he listened to Hiccup crying.

No, this wasn't crying. This was violent _sobbing_. Loud, tearful wails of pain and anguish were filling the air, and despite the mud that he'd so diligently plastered himself with, the scent of Hiccup's sadness permeated so far back that Jack could scent it in the air.

But still, Jack could only hear it. He could only scent it. He couldn't feel it through their bond.

Of all the things that Jack had been expecting to find, this was not it. This was far from it. With delicacy, Jack moved slowly, avoiding anything that would crunch or make noise as he approached. He didn't want to shock Hiccup by appearing, but he needed to get closer to him, and Hiccup had been so erratic lately that Jack wasn't sure how his sudden appearance would be received.

He was ten metres out when he accidentally stepped on a branch he hadn't seen, one obscured by the dense trees overhead. The crying stopped, though Jack could still hear it in Hiccup's voice as he called out, in as authoritative a voice as one could have when it still wobbled with tightly held sobbing. "Who's there?"

Jack's heart beat in his chest powerfully, and Hiccup had to know that he was there — _Jack_ could hear his own heartbeat. There was no point in secrecy. "Hiccup, it's me. Jack. Your mat—"

Hiccup was off, a small, blinding flash of brown fur as he dashed into the bushes far to the right. In an instant, Jack was a wolf and chasing after him, pushing himself hard, following the trail of disturbed branches and bramble still shaking from being pushed aside mere moments ago.

The chase through the forest was long, but Jack knew that as fast as Hiccup was, as quick as he was, years of practising with and against Hiccup and Jack's inherent speed meant that the alpha was gaining on Hiccup. The scent was growing stronger when finally Jack burst into a clearing, a field of tall grass facing him. He raced through it, no regard for his own safety against whatever might be hiding unseen, only caring about following the scent of Hiccup.

The small brown wolf appeared out of nowhere in front of him, the grass too tall to give any forewarning, both of them shocked that Jack had caught up to him so suddenly. With a single movement, Jack leapt, pinning the smaller wolf to the ground and clamping down on the meat of his neck — gently — demanding the wolf to submit to him.

And he was shocked when Hiccup didn't struggle, didn't fight against him; he just immediately submitted and went lax under Jack's body. _"Shift back,"_ Jack growled around the flesh in his teeth, and a few moments later, a naked Hiccup was laying underneath Jack's mud-patched white fur. Jack followed suit a few heartbeats later.

"Hiccup, what's _wrong_. What's all of this abo—"

Then it hit him like a tidal wave. Overwhelming sadness and hurt and self-loathing and pain all flooded into Jack, overwhelming him and causing him to reel backwards in shock, the mating bond having been silent for so long that it being filled with such _intense_ and visceral emotions overwhelmed him. And then Hiccup was sobbing, the tears flowing down his cheeks, the last of the mud on his face smearing with the lines of tears, his eyes closing, not looking at Jack. The alpha gripped Hiccup tightly, holding him close, which only seemed to inexplicably make the sobbing worse. Jack was at a loss for what to do, unable to help the omega, unsure what was even happening to disturb his mate so profoundly.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry," Hiccup finally choked out between sobs. "S-so sor-ry, Ja- _(hic)_ -ck."

Jack was stroking Hiccup's hair, holding him, trying to whisper words into his ear, trying to calm him down. Jack could feel Hiccup's reluctance to wrap his arms around Jack and it tore like a dagger through his heart, but then Hiccup's resolve gave way and he embraced Jack, holding him tightly, crying even harder. Jack tried his best to stroke Hiccup through it, the omega still pinned to the ground (Jack not wanting to risk going through the chase again), but trying to stroke his hair soothingly.

"Hiccup, it's okay. What happened? What's been going on?"

Hiccup quieted with that and, were it not for the aborted, silent spasms his body was still making at intervals, Jack would have thought Hiccup had gone unconscious. There was silence broken only by the rustle of the grass in the wind for almost a minute before Hiccup spoke, quietly. "Scent me." And so Jack leaned down, pressing his nose into the crook of Hiccup's neck and breathing deeply. He hadn't realised how badly he had missed this, the scent of winds carrying the aroma of distant flowers, of dew on grass, and some hint of sap from a still-green tree. Jack couldn't help himself; he inhaled a second time, relishing the scent, drinking it in as though he were desperate. Because after a month, he was. He'd needed Hiccup so badly.

"You smell perfect," Jack said between breaths. "You smell amazing, like you always do."

At that, Hiccup let out a slight whimper and repeated "Like I always do," before the scent of his sadness tinged Hiccup's scent, causing Jack's alpha to prickle at whatever threat was causing this.

"Of course you do, why would you smell any—" And then it hit Jack like a rock.

Hiccup smelled like he always did. Hiccup smelled like Hiccup. But he _only_ smelled like Hiccup. His scent hadn't had the minute change, a hint of what the child to come would smell like when they first entered the world. Hiccup's scent was purely his own and after a moment of silence, Hiccup looked away, knowing that Jack understood.

"Jack, I'm impotent. I— I can't give you pups. It's been three heats now, and you've done everything right, and I'm still not pregnant. I'm— I'm not going to _become_ pregnant. Ever. If I were going to be able to, I would have by now, and I haven't. I failed you in the one thing an omega is supposed to give their alpha."

Jack stared down at Hiccup, who was refusing to meet the alpha's eyes for a long time. Finally, when the silence had lasted almost a minute, Hiccup chanced looking up at Jack, and suddenly making eye contact, Jack couldn't keep it in any longer.

A short, abrupt burst of laughter came out of his mouth as he dropped his head. Which was precisely the wrong thing to do, Jack feeling the omega under him wrestling to be free; but Jack had Hiccup pinned down with every ounce of strength, and nothing in this world was going to be able to free Hiccup.

When Jack looked up at Hiccup, the omega was staring at him livid. It took a slight bit of the edge off of Jack's happiness, but only a bit, the relief washing over him carrying him on a euphoric high that, per usual, manifested in happiness, playfulness, and mischief. "How do you know I've been doing everything right? Neither of us have any experience at this. I could be horribly fucking this up, Hiccup," he said with a grin.

Hiccup, realising that he wasn't going to be able to move, at least made a show of defiance and outrage as he beat against Jack's chest, with only barely enough room for him to maneuver his arms underneath him. "Jack, how fucking dare you make fun of me like this? I can't give you pups — I can't do the one thing I'm supposed to be able to do right even if I fuck up everything else — and you're just going to laugh in my face? You've knotted me probably close to a hundred times over my three heats with you, and I'm still not pregnant. Neither of us are stupid, Jack. We both know what that means," he said, struggling in anger even as the tears started to fall again.

Jack shifted his right hand, using his elbow to cage Hiccup in instead of his hand, which he used now to dry the tear that was falling down Hiccup's face. Stubborn as always — both an infuriating and endearing trait of the omega's — Hiccup turned his head away from the contact, but Jack could feel through the bond the mix of pleased emotions he always felt when Hiccup felt cared for.

"Hiccup, for one of the most brilliant people I've ever known — maybe the most — you are sometimes the dumbest of all of them." Which got Hiccup's attention. "Do you remember the night of the mating ceremony? Do you remember what I told you? I told you that I would have chosen you as my mate whether you presented as an alpha, or as a beta, or as an omega. I didn't care what you were. All I knew was that I'd always wanted you, that I'd always been drawn to you. When you presented as an omega, sure, there was the added possibility of being able to have pups with you, and that was an exciting thought, but it was an afterthought. Because all I actually, truly wanted was you. So don't think for a second that I feel cheated out of having pups, or that I've been cheated out of a good mate who can provide for me. Because _I_ don't."

Hiccup looked as though he didn't know what to say, which was an uncommon expression on his face. He looked to the side when he muttered "But you're the next pack alpha. You _need_ to have pups. You need to—" Jack cut him off.

"I don't _need_ to do anything, Hiccup. I don't _need_ to have pups to be the pack alpha. If we never have pups, then someone else can become pack alpha after me; we can make sure that they're a strong leader and groom them well. And there are so many ways that we can still have pups, Hiccup; you know that." A stutter in Hiccup's heartbeat and a wave of panic rolled through the bond, and Jack knew what he'd said to cause it. "But the one way I won't is by sleeping with another person, Hiccup. I _love_ you. No, let me try that again. I love _you_. And only you. And I want you, whether _you_ think you're damaged or not, because _I_ don't think you are and I love every single part about you, and I wouldn't change any of it. Besides," Jack added with a smile that Hiccup caught out of the corner of his eye. "The Moon gives us many gifts and surprises.

"He gave me you."

Jack felt Hiccup go pliant underneath him, wrapping his arms around Jack's back and sobbing violently into Jack's shoulder. But it felt different this time, and Jack didn't need the mating bond — which he could feel Hiccup through once more — to tell him that Hiccup wasn't going to try to escape this time. And so he rolled them to the side so that he could wrap his own arms around Hiccup and hold his sobbing mate.

They just laid there, Hiccup crying violently into the night, both of them quietly rearranging their minds, envisioning a new future where there wouldn't be little boys running around with white hair and green eyes. But Jack — and, more importantly, Jack's alpha — couldn't have cared less. Whether he had pups of his own or not, he had his mate, and that was all that was important in the world. _That_ was all that Jack needed.

Finally, Hiccup's crying abated, and Jack took the opportunity to pull back and kiss Hiccup gently on the lips, conveying both physically and emotionally through the bond just how much he loved Hiccup and how earnest he was in everything he had said. And he could feel the response, waves of self-loathing and hatred slowly dissipating under the relenting assault, until he could sense Hiccup feeling hollow inside, not feeling anything, unsure yet how to deal with himself now that he had laid himself bare. Which lead Jack to ask aloud: "How, how did you manage to keep this from me for so long? Why couldn't I feel anything through our bond?"

And then Jack could feel a strong wave of guilt coursing from Hiccup. "Please, don't make me tell you," Hiccup barely whispered, and Jack could tell that whatever he'd done, it had been traumatically painful for Hiccup. One day, Jack might get his answer, but he didn't need it or want it tonight anymore. All he needed was this. Was Hiccup.

Jack held Hiccup tight, rocking them back and forth gently in the intimate closeness of the grass field, letting the wind brush over them. "I love you, Hiccup," Jack whispered into Hiccup's ear every few minutes.

And when Hiccup finally returned "And I love you, too," in a quiet voice, Jack almost shouted for joy, but instead just held Hiccup tighter against his body. The bond would share everything Jack had felt at that one, simple sentence.

* * *

When Jack and Hiccup crossed slowly through the treeline and back into the enclave, both they and their clothing covered in mud, most of the assembled pack turned their heads to look at them curiously. The next pack alpha and his mate had spent the night in the woods, covering themselves in mud, and returning midday smelling of wilderness, happiness, sweat, and sex. Which, that last one wasn't uncommon for these two. Their hands were entwined as Astrid walked up to them, her eyes leveled as she looked at Jack directly.

"You know, when I told you that you needed to stop keeping most of the pack awake while you were having sex, this was absolutely not what I meant you should change."

Hiccup was the first to burst out laughing, and Jack smiled wide. He'd missed that sound. So much.

**Author's Note:**

> So, this was inspired by a number of different prompts, _none of which I actually filled_ because lmao.
> 
>  **xxsnowfallxx** : 1) Jack is so busy n stressed out with learning to become the next pack alpha that he doesn't have enough time to spend with Hiccup and the stress gets to him and they get into an argument/Jack storms off n doesn't go home for a while n hiccup is in heat during that time.  
>  **xxsnowfallxx** : 2) Hiccup finally has Jacks pups! (that is, if you're into the mpreg stuff..)  
>  **[crazyfoxqueen](http://crazyfoxqueen.tumblr.com/)** : Please Alec. Shifter-verse, Hiccup's mpreg mood swings. Angry at Jack one second and crying the next. please do it.
> 
> Also, if you want this story to end on a happy, fluffy note, _don't[ask me how Hiccup was able to keep himself from using the mating bond](http://ahhhlec.tumblr.com/post/142880791611/i-gotta-know-how-did-hiccup-hide-his-emotions)_. I totally know how he did it; I just wanted the story to not, you know, resolve to be depressing as fuck.
> 
> SO! I'm embarking on an amazing new multi-chapter fanfic that I've been working on for a month (and still have probably a month before I'm ready to start writing the first chapter). But I want to make sure to keep my mind fresh and shift gears every so often so I can take breaks and come up with new ideas and not get stuck in a rut (that was not a reference, don't look at me like that). So, [PLEASE SEND ME HIJACK PROMPTS (ESPECIALLY OMEGAVERSE, THOUGH I CAN BE TEMPTED :P)](http://ahhhlec.tumblr.com/ask). Also, send me headcanons or questions you have, either about Hijack Shifters!AU or anything else! Cheers, all!


End file.
